The personal blog of Mark J Daniels, mostly about his new hobby playing with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

2016 – Another Year Gone

So here we are: New Year’s Eve. For some, just another Saturday, for others a time to mark the ending of one year and to move on to the next.

And probably the best way to describe this year is: turbulent. It has definitely not been a stable or calm year, and there’s been plenty of conflict and disorder chucked in for good measure.

In politics, the UK voted for something it didn’t really seem to understand and nobody really has a clue as to what the outcome will be. And, in the USA, everyone’s waiting to see if the election of Donald Trump is a thing of genius by the American people or the count down to a war with China.

Barely a day has seemed to go by this year without one celebrity obituary or another appearing in the news. From the Starman through to the Galaxy’s favourite Princess who, for men of a certain age, will live on in memory in that gold bikini, it seems that every other day one beloved name after another has gone to join the party.

Closer to home, we had a difficult year in this regard. We lost my brother-in-law George at such a young age, and the magic left our world in March when Uncle Paul passed away. This Christmas, our thoughts have been with family who aren’t with us any longer yet also grateful for friends we know who have battled through illness and have enjoyed another holiday with their families.

But some change in 2016 hasn’t been all bad. Malachy grew some fluff on his chin, took his GCSEs and then headed off to college to play video games all day. Jacob turned thirteen, puberty kicked in, and he’s now the tallest in the family. Although he’ll just blow away in a good wind…

And the unexpected but exciting offer of a new job at Wadworth in Wiltshire for me at the beginning of the year saw big changes at home for all of us, and the chance for me to get my teeth in to some real digital and technology work in a brewery. It has certainly challenged my project management skills, but I’m loving it.

A new car, some fantastic holidays and great memories with friends new and old mean that, while 2016 was indeed challenging in the first few months, we’re ending the year with a smile on our faces.

However 2016 has worked out for you, I hope you’ve had a great Christmas and wish you all the best for a Happy and Successful 2017!